Reforming health care for the elderly--the example of Vorarlberg

Vorarlberg--Austria's most western province with a population of about 325,000--has always implemented forms of social policy in which the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity play an important role. This is reflected in the structure of the organizations traditionally providing social services as well as in the more recent programmes the government has developed for social policy. This paper discusses two cases in point: the private associations for home care (Krankenpflegerverbände)--which now exist in 65 Vorarlberg communities and cover 85% of the population in the province--offering nursing services at home to members or to persons who are willing to join the organization when they need care, and the new organizational model, called Gesunder Lebensraum Vorarlberg (GLV), which is successfully operating in a few pilot communities. GLV has spawned umbrella organizations, run by volunteers, and offering a variety of social services relevant to the elderly, for example visiting services or neighbourhood help in case of emergencies. The volunteers get organizational help from a profit-making firm financed by the government. The Vorarlberg models can be interpreted as a step towards demedicalization and deinstitutionalization of health care for the elderly. Nevertheless, they also show the problems that arise when professionals and volunteers must cooperate. The models may lead to savings for the governments involved, although details are still subject to future empirical investigations.